It Has Been Artificial Intelligence All This While!
- CHIBUIKEM ECHEGWISI
- Jul 22, 2022
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 25, 2022
My First Encounter
I have always been an explorative mind who likes to seek new information wherever I can, especially all over the internet. So, when I was introduced to YouTube many years ago, it became my go-to source of information and direction. However, I noticed that whenever I watched a video, I would get suggestions to watch another video with a similar topic. This phenomenon would continue until I decided to veer off from the subject to seek something else. The next day, when I launched the YouTube application, a mix of videos on all the topics I had watched the day before was automatically queued up on my homepage. This often came to me as a surprise.
Another Encounter
I also like to surf applications like Amazon and eBay to “window-shop” for items that I would like to have but cannot afford at that moment, and it gives me a satisfaction I can’t explain. However, I realised that whenever I tapped on an item but did not buy it, every other website I visited with an advert window would display that item. It always felt like someone somewhere was trying to draw my attention to the thing I had shown interest in.
Here is another angle: When I buy an item, I get suggestions for things that go well with what I had just bought. It frequently says, “People who bought this item you just got also buy this item”. Your guess is as good as mine. Every other website I visit begins to display the item.
Were these coincidental, or is there an explanation for these encounters?
The Culprit: Artificial Intelligence (AI)
I later discovered that it had been AI at work all along. But first, what is AI, and how could it predict my preferences? AI, as will be explained in detail in the attached video link below, is when computer systems or robots are programmed in a way that enables them to imitate human thinking processes. Machines can learn from experience by assimilating voice recognition, Machine learning, Machine vision, and Natural Language Processing. It is a not-so-new innovation that has been with us since 1956 but has recently been a viable tool in the business world. Its application to business processes has been phenomenal in that it has changed how businesses run, and the results are outstanding.
(Simplilearn, 2019)
Examples of AI Application in Business
Manufacturing: In manufacturing, AI has been deployed, and you see this when robots lined up in rows across a plant work seamlessly to produce anything they have been programmed to do with little or no error. That is AI at work.
Healthcare: AI has aided in conducting complex surgeries using robotics, proffering diagnosis using programmed medical chatbots, and automatic prescribing and scheduling prescription medication. These and many more applications of AI in the medical field have reduced the need to visit the hospital.
Marketing and Advertising: Businesses have taken advantage of the tools available to AI to ascertain what contents appeal to consumers, both current and potential. With AI, companies can customise their products to meet their customers’ varying needs. For example, machine learning algorithms examine how adverts perform on various platforms and offer suggestions for improving performance.
Sales and Business Forecasting: AI can utilise past and current reports of an organisation to plot a trend to forecast a company’s potential sales and profitability.
The above are a few examples of how AI has been used to revolutionise the business world, and we all have encounters with AI and do not know it, just like I did, as described in my encounters at the start of this write-up.
Like me, have you encountered AI while carrying on your normal daily activities? Please leave a comment and also share with me how it made you feel. I look forward to hearing from you.
References
Simplilearn. (2019, April 30). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad79nYk2keg
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